Cost of Living Concession

Households that receive the Centrelink JobSeeker Payment will get a once-off boost of $500 as part of the 2020/21 Cost of Living Concession. In addition, payments will be brought forward for those households.

This measure is to assist people who are unemployed or lose their jobs as a result of COVID-19.

If you do not receive the Centrelink JobSeeker payment, your concession remains unchanged.

The Cost of Living Concession helps those on low or fixed incomes with their cost of living expenses, whether that be electricity, water, gas or medical bills.

Eligibility is based on your living arrangements on 1 July. You can apply any time but applications must be submitted by 31 October to receive the concession for that financial year.

If you have previously received a Cost of Living Concession payment and your living and income arrangements have not changed, you do not need to reapply.

Eligibility

The Cost of Living Concession is payable as a maximum amount per household, and can only be made to one person per household.

You may be eligible if:

you live at the property

on 1 July of the relevant financial year, you either:

hold an eligible card

receive an eligible Centrelink payment

meet low income provisions.

Eligible cards

Pensioner Concession Card

Gold Card from the Department of Veterans' Affairs

Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI)

Extreme Disablement Adjustment (EDA)

War Widow

issued to a person with 80 or more overall impairment points under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (Cth)

Low Income Health Care Card

Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.

Eligible Centrelink payments

JobSeeker Payment

Widow Allowance

Youth Allowance

Partner Allowance

Parenting Payment

Special Benefit

Community Development Project (CDP)

New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS)

ABSTUDY

Austudy

Farm Household Allowance (FHA)

War widow pension under legislation of the United Kingdom or New Zealand

Low income provisions

For the 2020/21 financial year, an applicant's income from all sources must not be more than the income limits shown below.

Status

Fortnightly income

Annual income

Single

$669.70

$17,412.20

Single with children

$716.00

$18,616.00

Partnered

$1,229.60

$31,969.60

Concession amount

The concession amount is indexed each financial year. For the 2020/21 financial year, the concession amount per eligible household is:

homeowner-occupiers: $215.10

homeowner-occupiers who are self-funded retirees with a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card: $107.60

tenants: $107.60

JobSeeker Payment homeowner-occupiers: $715.10

JobSeeker Payment tenants: $607.60

Payments for the 2020/21 financial year

ConcessionsSA customers have already received their 2019/20 Cost of Living Concession payments.

All concession payments are made by electronic funds transfer (EFT). You must provide your banking details to receive the concession. Use the online household concessions form to update your banking details or contact the ConcessionsSA Hotline.

JobSeeker Payment recipients who are already ConcessionsSA customers will be paid by April 2020. New customers will be fast tracked to receive their payment and boost as soon as possible.

homeowner-occupiers, retirement village residents and residential park residents who have previously received a Cost of Living Concession payment will be paid by the end of August 2020.

homeowner-occupiers and retirement village residents, who submit a new application before 31 October 2020, will be paid by the end of 2020.

tenants will be paid by the end of March 2021.

Advance payment and boost for Centrelink JobSeeker recipients

As part of the state government’s response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), South Australians who receive the Centrelink JobSeeker Payment will receive their 2020/21 Cost of Living Concession in advance and a once-off boost of $500.

You must be a ConcessionsSA customer and receive the Centrelink JobSeeker Payment to receive this advance payment and boost. The concession can only be made to one person per household.

Apply online using the application for household concessions if you are not yet a ConcessionsSA customer. You can apply for all household concessions using the one form, and be assessed for additional concessions such as energy or water.